As parents, we tend to look at enrolling our children into every activity possible in the interest of improving their skills. However, sometimes, instilling a sense of responsibility through chores makes all the difference. Ouiam El Hassani elaborates on the chores you can assign your little ones and how they can benefit when looking at the big picture.
Sometimes parents wonder if they should really give their kids chores. After all, isn’t it the parents’ responsibility to manage the household? And don’t kids need an opportunity to “just be kids” for now because they have the rest of their lives to worry about chores?
Doing chores helps children learn about what they need to do to care for themselves, a home and a family. They learn skills they can use in their adult lives like preparing meals, cleaning, and organising. Parents could definitely use some help when it comes to the piles and piles of laundry and dishes that accumulate and, luckily, kids who do chores are more successful as adults.
It stands to reason that kids who grow up doing chores learn responsibility and develop a work ethic early on in life. They figure out how to get tasks done and realise that messes don’t clean themselves, literally and figuratively. However, simple as it may seem, we may be so consumed with the other pressures of parenting that we underestimate the importance of asking kids to help out at home.
It is our tendency as modern day parents to over-protect and over-direct kids, which impedes self-efficacy. Parents should re-think and expand their definitions of success; it’s not just about getting into a specific college, earning certain test scores, or assuming a certain career path.
Parents can raise successful kids without resorting to over-parenting, and the earlier you start it the better. If kids aren’t doing the dishes, it means someone else is doing that for them so they’re absolved of the work and lose out on learning that each one of us must contribute for the betterment of the whole.
Why is sweeping the floor and clearing the table so important to kids’ well-being in life? Well, simply put – helping out around the house helps kids feel capable. Doing chores also helps kids feel like they’re part of the team. Pitching in and helping family members is good for them and encourages them to be good citizens.
Preschool children can be given simple chores that involve cleaning up after themselves like picking up their toys each day. They can also start to learn how to clean up their room and put their dishes away after a meal.
Once children begin attending school, their responsibility with chores should increase as well. For example, school-age children can put their shoes and backpacks away when they get home from school. Gradually add new chores to your child’s chore list. As chores become more complex, teach them in a step-by-step manner how to do each task. For instance, if a child is expected to put his own clothes away, teach him where to put the clothes and discuss your expectations. Praise their effort and encourage them to keep practicing. Don’t expect perfection.
Of course, there is a balance to be found; we want to teach kids responsibility while still allowing them to be kids. And, to be perfectly frank, sometimes asking kids to help around the house can make getting through your to-do list that much more difficult. Either way, this advice is definitely worth considering!
